Kara Genki

Back to GMarket!

2011-07-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited; I placed an order through GMarket last night for some Happy Bath products. Can't wait to try them!

Yoga FOTD ;)

2010-05-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

Off to yoga in a bit, and thought I'd share the products I usually use for a simple, fresh look~

Face:
I don't wear foundation or concealer, but I always wear sunscreen no matter what I'm doing! I use Etude House Glow Base SPF 36 (from Korea) as it has a bit of luminance to it, but not a lot of shimmer. Just gives me a nice glow which is handy for when I'm up early on a Sunday!

Cheeks:
Maybelline Dream Mousse in Peach Satin. This is my favorite cream blush and it's really easy to blend in for a pop of peach on my cheeks.

Eyes:
My eyes are the first thing on my face to start sweating, so I have to use my MAC Fluidline which is the only thing that stays put when my eyelids get oily. I use Laura Mercier's metallic creme eyeshadow in Titanium which is a pretty peachy champagne color.

Lips:
I usually stick with my CO Bigelo lipbalm and top with Majolica Majorca Honey Lip Gloss to make them shine.

Grab my water, my mat, and my purse and it's out the door I go!

(I also tried doing Heidi braids on myself this morning. It did not go well. It's definitely easier to do them with wet/damp hair though.)

Etude House Lip Stains

2010-05-01T16:45:00.000-07:00

Eek, long time no update. And yet I've actually received a lot of new stuff lately which I need to review still, including my GMarket order. However, two of the lipstains I'm reviewing in this entry are from that GMarket order, and the rest will come later.

Etude House is one of my favorite Korean lines, cheap but really good quality. I ordered one of the dual-ended Tint Glosses in my first order, which is very similar to Benefit's Pocket Tint. About 1/5th of the price though, which rocks.

(I promise I'll review the Skinfood lip&cheek tints next, as they are comparable to Bobbi Brown's Pot Rouges and Grapefruit is a dupe for the super-popular Calypso Coral shade.)

Swatches on my arm, remember I'm NW10 which is as pale as it gets!

Leftmost is the stain end of the Tint Gloss, the shade is called "Cherry". The texture is much thicker and a bit trickier to apply evenly. The applicator is a doe-foot.

Middle is the Aqua 10 Proof Tint in Shade 2. (The other shade is a fuschia color). It's not as vibrant as the tint gloss but I love the texture and it applies much more smoothly.

Rightmost is the Fresh Cherry Tint in Pink. This is my favorite of the three, and I was skeptical about trying a pink stain as it just seems weird. But it looks great on, not too bright or too pale/milky. Love it.

Price-wise these cost about $5 each, all purchased from the official Etude House seller on GMarket. I ordered quite a fair bit from the seller and they included a very cute skincare kit which I might do as my next giveaway!

Phew, hope that was a good enough review! I've had a bit of an exciting day so I am off to ~~download~~ obtain legally the new episode of Doctor Who, eat some leftover pizza, and play with Cleo.

Kose Cosmeport Kitanohitou Bath Essence vs Kanebo Tabinoyado Bath Salts

2010-04-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

I've heard Kathi from Lotus Palace rave about Kanebo Tabinoyado Bath Salts, so I ordered a big box from AlphabeautyUK on Ebay. Cost was $14.95 for 15 packages, not including shipping. So it works out to about 99cents a packet. Each packet is 25g.

Well, I'm almost through the box and I was beginning to panic. I love taking baths, moreso than showers. I like reading a good book and having a nice hot soak, sometimes with a cup of tea. Aaaah, bliss~

Anyway, I was recently at the mall and stumbled upon a little kiosk near where my sister and mother were shopping for shoes. They had a whole bunch of goodies by Kose, like Softymo cleansers/cremes, and some very interesting boxes towards the bottom...

It was a box of Kose Kosmeport Kitanohitou Bath Powders! 12.99 for a box of 10, and if you bought a second box, it was half price! So I picked up two boxes. The math works out the same -- about 99cents a packet. Each packet is also 25g.

Now to compare them...
The Kanebo packets all turn the water into a translucent colored water. There's yellow, green, and blue. The Kose packets, well I have tried 2 of the styles so far one one was a reddish brown color, and the other was a milky blue color. So the Kose ones seem to be either a clear color or a milky color. The Kanebo set comes with 5 different scents, the Kose only with 4. However, I prefer the scents of the Kose powders.

I would definitely purchase both again, but the Kose gets bonus points because it's more easily obtained for me!

(FYI, for those of you in Richmond, BC -- the beauty supply kiosk is by Aldo Shoes/Accessories in Richmond Center. Apparently their main store is in Yaohan Center. :))

Switching Out MAC Compacts

2010-04-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

You might recall that I had ordered Shell Pearl from the Liberty of London collection last month. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by the shade, but I absolutely adored the packaging it came in. The white shiny compact with the bright print was just too adorable. So I decided to do a switcheroo!

I used this tutorial here on youtube:

I had three MAC compacts that I switched around:
- Azalea Blossom Blush Ombre (Clear Lid)
- Shell Pearl Beauty Powder (White LoL Compact)
- Blushing Femme Irridescent Pressed Powder (Black Mirrored Compact) -- received this in a swap shattered but I had transfered the loose powder to a sifter jar and was planning on B2Ming the compact.

Following the tutorial, I managed to move everything around with minimal damage -- my first attempt was with the LoL compact and I accidentally nicked the surface with the knife. Luckily Azalea Blossom was unharmed.

And here's the end results!

Shell Pearl was swapped on MUA for an Esprique Precious lipstick, hooray! :) And I still have a B2M with the Azalea Blossom container. And doesn't AB look awesome in its new home?

Two Recent Orders

2010-04-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

I broke my no-buy to place a small order at Bobodave and used my GMarket gift certificate (plus a shipping credit I had in my cash balance leftover from my first order) to make an order without spending a penny. Whee!

Bobodave
- I bought another Etude House travel kit -- this one is from the Aqua Sherbert line. It comes with travel-size versions of the Lotion, Toner, and Gel. Reviews seem to agree that this is a cooling sort of line, perfect for summer. There is apparently alaskan glacial water in it, and the scent is grapefruit. I'm not a grapefruit fan but I am curious! Like the summer set I reviewed previously, this one was around $4.
- Next is a GWP that came with the recent release of Paul and Joe's Alice in Wonderland collection. The actual tin sets were very pricey, and I don't use blotting powders (rendering half of the set useless). Bobodave has the exclusive GWP that was given out for only $10. It's adorable, but there have been varying reports of the goodies included. They all seem to include a small foundation compact and a pressed powder sample, but some come with toner/cleansing milk bottles, and one on Ebay came with a brightening serum instead. In any case, you can see some photos of the GWPs at the following links:
AskCleo, Ebay, Iswii.net. So cute!
- Some Jill Stuart samples, including samples of the Day Care Essence, Hydro-filler, and a mini/travel size of the Brightening Eye Cream.
- A little Majolica Majorca mirror for my purse.

GMarket
- I hauled Etude House! Snagged two lip stains/tints, a face highlighter, and two sheet masks.
- I also picked up a baked blush by Clio, which I read about on Kathi's blog. The packaging is very cool, all artwork prints and such. I picked up a pinky peach that reminded me of MAC Springsheen or NARS Orgasm. Very excited!

GMarket Rocks!

2010-04-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

Today I got an email from GMarket CS with a free gift certificate for 50,000W (equivalent to around $60USD). AWESOME! Combine that with the $25 I got back as a shipping refund, and I've got a nice little chunk of change for when I haul on GMarket! Do I go with Banila Co? Skinfood? Etude House? Jadilla J? So many choices!

I'm so excited -- I never win anything!

Jill Stuart Haul (or "Why my dad rocks.")

2010-04-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

So my dad does a lot of traveling for business. He's always off somewhere far away, but mainly he's in China and Japan. Because he's so busy with work, he doesn't have time to shop so my sister and I generally don't ask him to bring us anything. In fact, I think the last time he brought me back something, it was in 2003 when I was just getting into j-pop. He brought me back three CDs which I still have and treasure; the cases are worn and scuffed because I've played them so many times. (FYI it's Ayumi Hamasaki's A Best, BoA's Listen to my Heart, and Mai Kuraki's Fairy Tale albums).

Anyway, this time when he went over I asked him if he had time to keep an eye out for any cute makeup. I named a few lines -- Banila Co (they opened a store in Tokyo), Kanebo, and Jill Stuart. I'm guessing he went for the last option because it's the easiest to remember. Three days into the trip and I get a text: "The girls from the office and I are figuring out where to go shopping." Picturing my dad going into a department store made me laugh, and even moreso when I considered the alternative -- his two young assistants running around Japan with his corporate credit card! In any case, he promised me a surprise when he got back.

Well, he just flew back in this morning and since it's my mom's birthday today (and my sister's on Saturday), we all went out for dinner. But not before stopping at home so they could open their gifts from me. And then my dad started pulling out what he brought back for my sister and me.

OMG. He pulled out the first little pink box that I never thought I'd have. It was a set of 3 Jill Stuart lipglosses. I squealed, oohed, and aahed. But wait, there's more! Another Jill Stuart lipgloss. And then an eye shadow!

How pretty is all of it?! I just kept opening the boxes and looking at everything all throughout dinner, ha ha ha! And here's some other goodies he brought back...

Apparently these teddy bear necklaces are really popular in Japan! They're made of white gold and have the most adorable rhinestones on them so they sparkle so brightly! And to add a sweet touch, the arms and legs are fully articulated joints like the old fashioned teddy bears. So they swing to and fro if you move a lot while wearing it.

My dad also did some shopping for my mom -- he bought her a Bobbi Brown eye palette (a pastel color set) and a lip palette, and at the Bobbi Brown counter apparently you got a cute necklace for free. Mom already had one from the last time he went to the BB counter in Tokyo, so she gave it to me. It's got a cute glass heart on it!

MAC Hollidazzle 2003 - 7 Pink Lips

2010-03-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

I received this gorgeous MAC lip palette in a swap last year and it's one of my favorites. It houses 7 pink shades -- 2 lipglasses and 5 lipsticks.

The shades are:
Junior Miss LS: Clean fuchsia with gold pearl
High Strung LS: A deeply enlightened pink silver (Perm)
Crème de la Femme LS: Baroque pink laced with gold (Perm)
Captive LS: Pinkish plum (Perm)
Tulle LG: Baby pink with silver pearl
Fluid: Muted brown plum with violet shimmer (Perm)
Vintage Violet LG: Icy violet with shimmer

Yeah, I have no idea which of the above the gold one is supposed to be. Go figure.

A bit off-topic for a moment...

2010-03-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

The reason I haven't been posting much is because I haven't acquired much new makeup. Sadness! I've been trying to arrange some swaps on MUA but I find it is so hard to actually swap for goodies from Asia -- everyone wants me to buy or to CP. If I wanted to spend money, I'd just go on Ebay and buy there, KWIM? Not to mention selling is banned on MUA. Honestly, some people can be so cheeky. I usually don't even reply, just block them and forward the message onto the administrators.

Also, my time lately has been taken up by my new roommate, Cleo.

Isn't she a cutie? She's 3 and I adopted her from the BCSPCA. We're getting along just fine, I think. She follows me around like a dog, so adorable!

Anyway, will post some updates later this week, I promise!

MAC Liberty of London Haul

2010-03-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

My MAC order arrived a few days ago; reviews to follow but I just wanted to show off the gorgeous packaging!

Cameleon 36-Color Palette Giveaway!

2010-03-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

I reviewed the Cameleon 36-Color Palette Giveaway here and one thing I didn't realize was the smell of the shadows. They have a chemical scent to them that my sensitive nose just can't handle, so I haven't really used it much.

Anyway, I've decided not to keep the palette, and so I'm holding my first giveaway here on KG. :)

Rules:
- This giveaway is open to everyone worldwide!
- To enter, you must be a follower of this blog. Post a reply with your name and make sure I have a way to contact you!(Email, website, or Twitter username, for example)
- For a bonus entry, post about the giveaway on your blog. :)
- Deadline for entries is March 31, 2010.

Rain, rain, go away...

2010-03-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday night, we lost an hour of daylight today, which means spring is officially here and soon the weather will be warming up. Of course, in Canada that means we'll get snow in April like we did last year. Hmph. Right now, it's raining, dreary, and chilly. As is my mood. I've been feeling melancholy lately because of some health issues, and of course when you're at home sick, the tendency to do some retail therapy online is just too tempting. Needless to say, my credit card bill will be a bit higher than usual. Oops.

Right now my dad is in Asia on business, and he left with a little wishlist from his favorite daughter. Hehehe.

I'm waiting for several packages in the mail. I've been a bit naughty.
- MAC LoL order
- New earbuds and matching iPod Touch case
- Ebay order (Sheet masks, bath salts, deodorant, and a KATE eyelash curler)
- Konad order
- Some swaps for Asian MU/skincare including an Etude highlighter, Etude House sunscreen, and a Majolica Majorca e/s single (the Shu Uemura ME Silver 945 dupe, allegedly).

Banila Co Let Me BeBe BB Cream

2010-03-13T16:17:00.000-08:00

BB creams are all the rage in Asia. Most easily comparable to tinted moisturizers, these BBs are sort of an all-in-one product -- foundation, sunscreen, anti-aging, anti-wrinkle, whitening, the list can go on and on.

My recent haul on GMarket included some free samples of Banila Co's Let Me BeBe BB cream.

I have to admit that most people hate me because I don't need to wear foundation, concealer, or powder to keep my skin looking good. I often get compliments of how beautiful it is, and a girl loves compliments. However, for the sake of this blog, I figured it was worth trying at least once.

For reference, I am about a MAC NW10. I'm very pink. My hands are about the same shade as my face.

I opened both samples to swatch -- Sheer is on the left, Nude is on the right/

Confession -- I actually did try Sheer on my face, just to see how it felt and what it looked like. It was just a bit too yellow. Nude looks much more promising, especially when you see my swatches below of the product blended in.

As you can see, Nude has blended in quite nicely, and is pretty close. Sheer is definitely too orange!

The texture is soft, creamy, and blends easily. There is a scent to this, a sort of typical moisturizer scent. Not offensive at all, but I am guessing people with very sensitive skin might not be impressed. This cream has an SPF of 37, so you could easily combine your foundation + sunscreen routine into one step with this.

Majolica Majorca Eyeshadow Quad Swatches - Part 2

2010-03-12T18:41:00.000-08:00

Alright, here's the next Majolica Majorca quad that I swatched!~

This is another of the Jeweling Eyes series, and this is VI782. Apparently this is one of the original 8 in the series that was released last year. I'm beginning to see a pattern with MM palettes -- the darker colors are usually less shimmery and more pigmented, while the lighter colors are usually shimmerbombs. I really love this quad though, and it doesn't pull too red (some plums do).

I'll be making another post this weekend with the third installment of my swatching project, and maybe some swatches of my new Guerlain quad. It's gorgeous!

A Mysterious Package...

2010-03-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

So this morning, a rather large package showed up at my apartment... With glee, I raced downstairs to the main floor to greet the mail carrier, and signed for it.

Open it up... more boxes!

Slightly wasteful, in my humble opinion. Plus I suspect this is why shipping was so astronomically high, eurggggggh.

Freebies and extras! I think that's a sheet mask top-left. Some BB creme samples (swatches coming later), maxipads (LOL), some Etude House collagen creme samples, a little soap sample, a small MU remover from Banila Co, and cotton squares. Woo!

Majolica Majorca Eyeshadow Quad Swatches - Part 1

2010-03-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

I have four Majolica Majorca quads, and this week I will be reviewing them one at a time.

Here are all four of them together. The packaging is adorable, hm?

First up is top-left, the Jeweling Eyes in BL711. This color combination is brand new for Spring 2010; there is another quad new for Spring as well.

This quad includes a shimmery light butter yellow, a shimmery mint green, a shimmery sky/baby blue, and a shimmery brown taupe. The latter two are more metallic and pigmented than the lighter two.

The quads come with a diagram on the box for the suggested look -- the Jeweling Eyes are meant to be worn with the leftmost as a highlight, the inner two on the lid and crease, and the rightmost as a liner.

MAC Liberty of London is out!

2010-03-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

MAC's LoL collection is now available for purchase online on their website. I only placed a small order as I have been drifting away from MAC lately. Isn't the packaging neat? I am a sucker for MAC's special packaging. I only have a few pieces but I love them. (My favorite is my Heatherette beauty powder compact and the Raquel Welch lipstick)

Anyway, my order includes:
- Shell Pearl beauty powder. This looks very soft and glowy, and it's a peach which I really don't have enough of! I want to try and wear some more peachy/nude shades this spring. Already planning a FOTD, actually!
- English Accents & Frankly Fresh lipglasses:

I passed on everything else. The eyeshadows I just depot anyway, so the packaging would be useless. The blushes were meh, and the lipsticks seemed too extreme.

MAC Lipgloss Swatches

2010-03-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

MAC's lipglosses are hit or miss for me, but I can't stay away from that awesome vanilla scent that their lip products are famous for. MAC has many different formulas of their lipgloss, which is actually called "lipglass". There's the original lipglass, the sparklier lustreglass, the plumping plushglass, the discontinued 3D glass, and then there's dazzleglass, cremesheen glass, creme dazzleglass, lipgelees... and I'm sure I'm missing a few more of the limited edition spinoffs.

Here's my collection!

My collection isn't as large as most, but I use every single color and many of them are only about half full now. Quite a few are limited edition, and all of them are fabulous. I am not going to review every single one as MAC is so readily swatched/reviewed already but I did swatch them on my arms.

I am, however, going to list the shade descriptions from MAC as well as what collection they are from!

Starting on the far left:

Cremesheen Glass

- Ever So Rich (Creme Team): Sheer Lilac

Tinted Lipglass

- She Loves Candy (Hello Kitty): Pale blue pink with gold pearlized pigments

- Viva Glam VI SE (Permanent): Soft pink-tinged mauve

- Viva Glam V (Permanent): Neutral pink with pearl

- Negligee (Lingerie): Bright mauve with pearl

Lustreglass

- Ensign (Naughty Nauticals): Peachy pink with white and gold pearl

- Hey, Sailor (Naughty Nauticals): Blue plum pink with white pearl flecks

- Wonderstruck (Permanent): Lustred-up clean pink coral

Marbleized Lipglass

- Miss Marble: Muted pink

Suntints SPF 20 Liquid Lip Balm

- Lilt of Lily: Soft, creamy pale pink

Lipgelee

- Shift to Pink (MAC In Lillyland): Light violet with pearl

Swatches on my arm, without flash and with, as always. Swatches are in the same order as the above.

Cameleon 36 Color Professional Eyeshadow Palette

2010-03-08T17:07:00.000-08:00

Hoo boy. Yes, I'm crazy. But this was just so crazy I had to get it when I was shopping on Sasa. This is indeed a 36-color palette, packed with neutrals, brights, and everything in between. At only $7, what did I have to lose?

Sorry for the stock photos; I didn't take any of the palette itself before I started swatching!

For starters, the palette itself is tiny. It's about 3"x6", so you can imagine how small the actual pans are. The shadows are soft and easy to use, but they are so soft that they crumble a bit. :/

Swatches! Yes, I swatched them on my leg. My arms are too small to fix 36 eyeshadows on them.

My Skincare Stash -- Quick Reviews

2010-03-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been diving into a skincare regime. Most will cringe when I admit that I hardly ever wash my face. I have very porcelain skin, no blemishes or uneven-ness. I find I don't need a lot of maintenance to keep it looking fresh. When I do wash my face, it's usually because a blackhead has appeared (porcelain skin means your pores are very fine, so when a blackhear pops up, it can be very difficult to remove) and I will use Neutrogena's Stress-Control Acne Wash until it's gone.

Ever since I got into Japanese cosmetics, though, I've noticed that they all have the same sort of fair skintone as I do. I went on a sample spree on Bobodave and picked up some mini/travel sizes to play with. Between my Bobodave order, my Sasa order, and the extras I'd hoarded from swapping on MUA, I had quite a stash to play around with.

For the past month or so, I've been working my way through some of these. I can tell you right away that the duds so far are the Vichy, the Laura Mercier, and the Chanel moisturizers with SPF. I'm fairly certain the Chanel sample I got was rancid, which sucks. Or maybe it smells like crap all the time? The LM felt very drying, and the Vichy was too greasy.

The Etude House SPF 50, on the other hand? It's juuuust right. (I reviewed this previously here). I included the Vichy and LM as extras in swaps, and tossed the Chanel. The Aveda sample has also gone onto a new home.

That tiny hexagon-shaped container on the right is Kanebo Suisai Beauty Clear Powder. It's a powder that you pour into your hand, add a small amount of water, which creates a lovely exofoliating cleanser that you use on the face.

I've been using the Kanebo Raphaie set (far right) the past week. The Cleansing Milk is very mild and gentle, but I like my cleansers to feel more... cleansing... rather than moisturizing. Once the samples are gone, I don't think I'll purchase the fullsize version.

Expect more comprehensive reviews of everything else once I've given them a try. I'm excited!

Japanese Eyeliners - Swatches and Reviews

2010-03-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

Being on MUA, I constantly read about the search for the One Eyeliner to Rule Them All, the one that stays put on the waterline. I've had mixed results with MAC Fluidlines and UD's 24/7s, and even Revlon Colorstay can give both of them a run for their money.

My eyeliner collection from Japan currently stands at four, and they are all of varying prices and formulas.

L-R: KATE BU-1, Majolica Majorca Jewelling Pencil in WT909, Majolica Majorca Perfect Automatic Liner in BK920, Spring Heart Long Lasting Eyeliner in 02.

As you can see, one is a gel liner, one is a standard pencil, one is a liquid liner and the last is an automatic/sharpening pencil.

Onto the swatches! Without flash, and with flash, as the flash really shows the sparkle/shimmer. Swatches are in the same order as the eyeliners in the above photo.

Of the four, the Spring Heart eyeliner is the only one that is completely mate. The KATE gel liner has a slight shimmer to it, and the white MM pencil has very fine sparkles/glitter in it. The MM perfect eyeliner has the most shimmer.

I'll try and be as detailed as I can in my reviews, but unfortunately I have only tried the white eyeliner on the waterline so far. I'll be sure to update this review with my experiences in the future!

KATE Gel Eyeliner in BU-1: KATE is the drugstore line by Kanebo, who does the pricier Lunasol line for department stores. The eyeliner was $14 on Adambeauty. It comes with a small brush which I don't like to use. It's a small shader brush and I just can't get the hang of it. I use my MAC 210 instead. There are 7 colors available including black, black with sparkles (similar to MAC Blitz & Glitz), green, navy (mine), gold, silver, and brown. The gel liner is very pigmented, though it is not quite as creamy as a MAC Fluidline. Lasting power is phenomenal. I wore it Friday to work all day, then to the bar afterward, and it was still in place when I got home around 10PM. 14 hours!

Majolica Majorca Jewelling Pencil in WT909: This is a matte white with tiny sparkles in it. I have worn this on the waterline and to my delight, it stays put! Of course, as with any product with sparkles/glitter, you should use it at your own risk as the waterline can be very sensitive to foreign matter. My eyes are particularly fussy and so I can't wear this all day, but for a pop of brightness I will wear it for a night out without any discomfort. For day looks, I prefer to use my CARGO Reverse Lipliner which is completely matte and is a flesh color. This was $9 on Adambeauty but you can find them cheaper on Ebay.

Majolica Majorca Perfect Automatic Liner in BK920: This is the second generation of automatic eyeliners from MM. The first type was just called Automatic Liner, and the type that came out after the Perfect series was called Neo. This eyeliner is probably one of my favorites. It's a twist-style eyeliner similar to a Stila lip glaze. You twist the bottom to dispense a bit of the eyeliner into the brush. However, unlike the lip glazes, the product dispenses in a much more controlled amount -- one click pushes out enough to do one eye. The tip is very flexible so you can use the tip or use it at an angle. BK920 is a soft black with pearl shimmer to it. It's very pretty but slightly sheer, so I need about two coats on each eye. These are $15 on Adambeauty but I got mine off of Ebay for a bit cheaper (around $12).

Spring Heart Long Lasting Eyeliner in 02: I think I got this from Ebay, I don't remember. Spring Heart is a line by Koji, and their makeup is very inexpensive. I think this eyeliner was about $4. It's a soft matte brown, and it's an automatic pencil type liner similar to MAC's Technakohls or Revlon's ColorStay eyeliners. It's not very pigmented, but it's soft and doesn't tug at the eyelids. It comes with both a sharpener and a smudger concealed in the bottom which is very handy.

Taupe is Dope - Eyeshadow Swatches

2010-03-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

I love taupe. I wish I had more taupe, because it's fun to wear as a more intricate EOTD, but it can also look pretty on its own.

I've rallied up the five taupes that I have, swatched 'em, and reviewed all five (yes, just five) for you! Three of them are from palettes, so they have no specific shade name. I've photographed them without flash and with flash, as the flash shows off the shimmer/metallic finish more.

L-R: MAC Satin Taupe, Christian Dior Incognito, Majolica Majorca Majotrick BR711, Majolica Majorca Jewelling Eyes BL711, Laura Mercier Alloy.

MAC Satin Taupe: This is a Veluxe Pearl shadow, which is my absolute favorite finish from MAC. It's soft, creamy, and pigmented and applies like a dream. For the longest time I would just wear this with Naked Lunch as my go-to look. It also looks incredible on its own.

Christian Dior Incognito: This is one of the five shades in the Incognito quint by Dior, and it's my only matte taupe. I find that the matte Dior shadows are easier to work with than the shimmery ones, which are so sheer I look like I have discoballs on my eyelids once the color is built up enough. The entire quint is neutral but I have to say the light pink and the grey-toned taupe are the standouts of the group.

Majolica Majorca Majotrick BR711: This is part of a quad from Shiseido's popular drugstore line in Japan. It's actually quite similar to Satin Taupe, but not quite as warm as it has a silver flash to it whereas MAC's has more gold in my opinion. MM shadows can be hit or miss, especially their palettes, but I found that it applies very well on the eyelid even without a primer.

Majolica Majorca Jewelling Eyes BL711: Brand new for Spring 2010, this quad has a lovely cool taupe as the darkest selection. I haven't tried a complete look with the quad, only with the green and blue, but the taupe is lovely and I'm sure I'll be using it soon.

Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Color in Alloy: I have another of LM's metallic cremes (in Platinum) and Alloy does not disappoint either in terms of pigment, staying power, and ease of applying. It's one of the best formulas for creme eyeshadow that I've tried, and Alloy is such a gorgeous color. It's more red than Satin Taupe. It is definitely the warmest of my taupes, and I'm a NW10 so I'm amazed I can pull it off.

And that's the last of them! I'm hoping to get my hands on some more taupes in the future, as they are so wearable and my favorite neutral. There are so many different kinds! Please feel free to drop a comment with your recommendations for other taupes. :)

Shiseido Tsubaki Haircare Review

2010-03-03T16:30:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my Sasa haul overview, they have a ton of the less expensive Shiseido lines which you can find in Asian drugstores. Shiseido has several haircare lines out and I decided to try the Tsubaki like (as the Ma Cherie line looked very overwhelming; it has 3x the items in it).

The Tsubaki line is available in two formulas - Red, for normal hair, and White/Gold, which is for damaged hair. I went with the red line as my hair is oily/normal.

L-R: Small shampoo, large shampoo, shampoo refill, small conditioner, large conditioner, conditioner refill, hair mask, treatment.

Sasa did not have the conditioner in stock, and the hair mask was just a bit too expensive ($25) so I picked up the shampoo ($6.70 for the small 220ml size) and the treatment ($13.20). The White/Damage Repair line is actually a bit more expensive, I noticed.

Tsubaki (椿) is Japanese for camellia which is a type of flower. The Tsubaki line contains the oil of the camellia, and I imagine it might have inspired the scent used as well.

Onto the review!

Shampoo: This has a very nice floral scent, not too strong. I need only a small squirt to work through my shoulder-length hair. It has a lot of slip for a shampoo and lathers nicely.

Treatment: This has a much stronger scent than the shampoo. It's meant to be worked through damp hair and left on for about 5minutes. I wash my face, use my Clarisonic, and such while I wait for it to set. Upon rinsing, my hair slides so easily through my fingers with no effort whatsoever.

Results: After two days of using it, my hair already feels healthier than it did with my old shampoo. Once it's been blow dried, it is soft, shiny, and smells great! I do think it weighs down my fine hair just slightly, so I probably will only use the treatment once a week or so instead of every other day when I wash my hair.

I'll be sure to post an update in a week or so to let everyone know how my hair has reacted to continued use.

...and I do want to eventually try the Ma Cherie line, too. It's PINK!

First Sasa Haul

2010-03-03T15:58:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post a quick photograph of the contents of my first Sasa order.

I do want to say some things to those planning their first Sasa orders as well:

PROS:

- Lots of Shiseido's drugstore line of haircare/skincare! Each item averages at about $8-10 and there's a good choice.

- Free shipping once you hit $100 in your cart so it's great to stock up on heavy skincare items.

- Free sample with your order (I picked a package of 20 cotton pieces for removing MU/applying toner).

- Prices are competitive for skincare but not so much for makeup. For makeup, it's cheaper on Adambeauty.

CONS:

- Limited stock in the more popular brands.

- Samples aren't that interesting or intriguing. Choices now are the cotton squares, a notepad, or "red packets" (my guess is this has something to do with Chinese New Year)

- They declare the full value on the package, so I had to pay $23 in duty/taxes. Eurgh.

Kiss Me Heroine Make Long&Curl Mascara

2010-03-03T15:16:00.000-08:00

Kiss Me has (according to the website) been around since 1825, and their mascaras get rave reviews on MUA. I picked up their Long&Curl mascara as part of my first Sasa order, and I'm impressed! I'm not a huge mascara fan, to be honest. I am more about quick fixes, less about pinching my eyelids accidentally with a curler.

Lately, though, I've been delving into some popular mascaras by Asian lines such as Majolica Majorca, and I've had some success there. Kiss Me, though, trumps them all with a mascara that does what it says on the tin -- while still looking natural, and it looks good even without using a curler.

As you can see, the wand is curved and has lots of bristles in the comb, so as to coat each lash easily. It picks up a lot of product, so I usually remove a bit before applying or it gets goopy. (You'll see what I mean when I post photos of it on my lashes.) The formula itself does not have any fibers in it, so it's not too finicky to apply.

Taking one for the team, I present me without any makeup except the mascara. ;)

Sorry for the horror. :P I went out like that today, too! Thanks to my new skincare regimen, all I had on was my Etude House sunscreen and some toner. As you can see, the lashes still look natural but much longer than they normally are. I'm sure if I curled them, it would look even more impressive, but I have a hard time finding a lash curler that fits the shape of my eyes. But I digress...

Overall, Kiss Me has put together a great mascara that I will be using more than I use my Majolica Majorca mascaras which are just a little too finicky. (Yes, I like the word finicky. Deal.)

This exact mascara is available on Sasa for $10.60 and more pricey on Bobodave for $15.76.

Etude House Travel Kit

2010-03-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

This was an impulse buy from Bobodave. I was hoarding samples and this lovely little kit was only $7.88. Etude House is a Korean line that has awesome skincare and cosmetics, but I've only been lucky so far as to try these four items (so far)!

The kit contains travel sizes of four skincare items in a handy little bag.

- Baking Powder Pore Cleanser Foam: This has a nice scent to it; it sounds very familiar but I can't quite name it! It foams up quite nicely and has an exfoliating quality to it (the baking powder). It's mild enough that it doesn't sting if I get it near my eyes, which is a bonus.

- Aqua Sherbet Aloe Soothing Gel: This is a gel with aloe that has a clean, soft scent. A tip I read is to refrigerate it before using. I bet this would be amazing to use after being out in the sun, or on a sunburn. Might have to hang onto this until summertime...

- Perfect Proof Sun Guard SPF 50/ PA: First of all, this smells incredible! I would have preferred a beefier bottle of this rather than the pore cleaner foam, especially since I'm getting the sense this travel kit is more for summer holidays. The texture is very light and thin as opposed to sunscreen which can be very thick. I have ordered a full tube of their Glow Guard, which is in the same line but has fine shimmer/glitter in it for a dewy look. That's on its way in my GMarket order, so I will review it when it arrives!

- Sweet Appleade Body Wash: This has quite a strong scent but once you get it lathered up on the body it's much lighter. It smells a lot like green apples, which can be a bit sour to some people but I like it. It foams up really well and is quite refreshing. I've already used up half the tube, so I might be repurchasing a full bottle soon!

Annabelle Custom Quad Magnetic Compact

2010-03-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

I recently decided to downsize my MAC eyeshadow collection to the few shadows I actually use. I went through a neutral phase where everything I bought for the eyes was neutral, so I had a lot of duplicates. Lately I've come to realize that I have dupes in other, smaller palettes that I prefer to their MAC equivelant.

I went from having 13(!) pans to just 4. Since the nearest MAC store is half an hour away, I decided to go for instant gratification and picked up a magnetic quad from Annabelle.

Annabelle is a Canadian exclusive drugstore brand that just recently came out with a system similar to MAC's pro palettes -- customizable quads with the pans ready to be popped into them. Unlike MAC's system, Annabelle's quads are magnetized, not the eyeshadow pans themselves.

The Annabelle quad is available in a couple of designs, and currently they are only available in Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada. RRP is $4.95, but I paid about $5.75 for mine which is just a few cents less than the MAC ones. They feel heavier and more sturdy though.

If you are in the United States, you can order from Annabelle directly by calling their CS line. More information is available in their FAQ on the official website.

Here's my quad in action next to my MAC 15-pan (which will hopefully be going to a new home!) Eyeshadows pictured are MAC Shroom, Naked Lunch, Satin Taupe, and Brun.

Welcome!

2010-03-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

I swore up and down I wouldn't do it, but I did. This is why nobody ever believes anything I say.

I made a blog!

Hopefully this one will last longer than my attempt at maintaining a book review blog. (I don't even remember what the address was.)

Anyway, a brief introduction is needed I guess. I'm Valerie, formerly known as vikitty on MUA but now there as doctordonna. I've recently been introduced to the world of awesome that is Asian makeup, so I will be reviewing all my hauls here as well as my non-Asian hauls too, so for you MAC fans don't run away just yet!

I have a lot of older stuff to post on here, so for a while you might just be reading about stuff you've seen before on the MU boards, but bear with me. :D I promise not to fall off the face of the earth.